Closing anxiety!

[Kmedders]

Have you ever gotten anxiety right before closing?? I’m closing on my first contract soon - just signed the documents and wired my funds. We have discussed DVC for about five years and finally took the plunge. I love Disney and the memories we get as a family going there. But now all of a sudden I have anxiety worrying about whether this makes financial sense or if I will regret this. I am sure this is purely because it is a large purchase for “fun”. We aren’t financing, I’ve saved up the money, so I wouldn’t say it is irresponsible for us. But it is the largest “fun” purchase I’ve ever made. Please help me feel better - have any of you had anxiety like this and did you ever regret doing DVC??

 

[Stargazer65]

Every time I get a new used car I feel that way.

It's normal to feel that way after a little splurge. It sounds like you made a thoughtful decision though, so just enjoy it.
We've been in ten years, haven't regretted it. Now I'm adding on points.

 

[IsamarV14]

I just closed on a resale contract and it was also my first. I felt like this as well and also paid cash but I just thought of all the memories my new little family and I can make and how much my childhood memories still stick with me!

Good luck!!

 

[Kmedders]

Every time I get a new used car I feel that way.

It's normal to feel that way after a little splurge. It sounds like you made a thoughtful decision though, so just enjoy it.
We've been in ten years, haven't regretted it. Now I'm adding on points.

love hearing that you’ve never regretted it!! Thank you!

 

[Kmedders]

I just closed on a resale contract and it was also my first. I felt like this as well and also paid cash but I just thought of all the memories my new little family and I can make and how much my childhood memories still stick with me!

Good luck!!

Congrats!! Thank you - I have never regretted a dime I’ve spent on our Disney trips up to this point, so I hope this purchase is no exception. Plus my kids LOVE AKL, so I’ve really happy we bought there

 

[DisneyFan5404]

We purchased our first contract in 1997 at OKW on our first trip to Disney when our children were 3 and 5. I worried we would regret it but we have so many fond memories of our trips when they were young and now that they are adults. Owning DVC also forced us to make sure we made the time to take a vacation. Sometimes life gets so busy that we found we weren't always taking an annual vacation. We are nearing retirement and just closed on a resale contract at BWV and are looking forward to even more time at Disney! Can't wait for those new points to be loaded!!

 

[Kmedders]

We purchased our first contract in 1997 at OKW on our first trip to Disney when our children were 3 and 5. I worried we would regret it but we have so many fond memories of our trips when they were young and now that they are adults. Owning DVC also forced us to make sure we made the time to take a vacation. Sometimes life gets so busy that we found we weren't always taking an annual vacation. We are nearing retirement and just closed on a resale contract at BWV and are looking forward to even more time at Disney! Can't wait for those new points to be loaded!!

Love this! Thank you! We prioritize vacations also - it’s so important for us. I’m so happy to hear from another person who hasn’t regretted this

 

[MICKIMINI]

We started this journey in 1996. So far, three generations have enjoyed vacations with us. Son and DIL are at BWV right now (we gift). Love, love, love it!

 

[skippytx]

No regrets here. Did our homework before hand, knew it was the right fit for us. The first trip you make on your own points and you'll forget all about the anxiety.

Look at it this way, since you're buying resale your risk is fairly minimized. You can enjoy a trip or two on points, and if DVC isn't right for you sell the contract. You'd be out some transaction costs and maybe a couple years of dues, but the resale market is healthy (for now) and selling the contract shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Kmedders]

No regrets here. Did our homework before hand, knew it was the right fit for us. The first trip you make on your own points and you'll forget all about the anxiety.

Look at it this way, since you're buying resale your risk is fairly minimized. You can enjoy a trip or two on points, and if DVC isn't right for you sell the contract. You'd be out some transaction costs and maybe a couple years of dues, but the resale market is healthy (for now) and selling the contract shouldn't be an issue.

Thank you! I think my biggest fear is that we won’t use this after our kids (7 and 9) are grown. But like you said, hopefully I could sell if that were the case.

 

[CarolynFH]

We bought after "thinking about it" for four years and four visits to WDW. That was 23 years ago, and we've never regretted it. As others have stated above, we've brought our kids, family members, and friends. We gave our daughter a week-long WDW honeymoon at BWV. Getting ready to bring the kids and grandkids in December. And we love our "just us two" adult trips!

Congratulations, and enjoy!

 

[RoseGold]

Assuming you bought resale, this isn't a huge commitment. Let's say you decide you only want to vacation in Paris in a few years. This isn't like the other, worthless timeshares. You just sell. Then you're out the commission to sell, closing, and maybe some depreciation.

I did the math on my SSR, and it can even tank like 30% in the next five years, and it was still a smart financial decision for me.

Of course, I planned to fork money over to the mouse anyway...

 

[skippytx]

Thank you! I think my biggest fear is that we won’t use this after our kids (7 and 9) are grown. But like you said, hopefully I could sell if that were the case.

You will. My wife and I took an adults only trip in Feb 2019 for our 10 year anniversary. We had a blast. We had some points we didn't plan on using, so spent 6 nights at SSR. Many folks on this site use their DVC for resort only stays and don't even go to the parks. There's lots of fun to be had in/around Orlando, Disney Springs, and the resorts.

Worst case you rent your points out for the year and cover your dues and a little extra. If you need to get rid of the contract, the market is good and its easy to sell. There's not a lot of downside currently.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

Once in a while I think about what else I could have done with the money and I remember that I would rather spend the money on my DVC than any of those things! So I have no regrets. Thinking of my family’s smiles and awe when we see the giraffes at AKV warms my heart every time. Enjoy your purchase!

Deb

 

[DisneyTim76]

Have you ever gotten anxiety right before closing?? I’m closing on my first contract soon - just signed the documents and wired my funds. We have discussed DVC for about five years and finally took the plunge. I love Disney and the memories we get as a family going there. But now all of a sudden I have anxiety worrying about whether this makes financial sense or if I will regret this. I am sure this is purely because it is a large purchase for “fun”. We aren’t financing, I’ve saved up the money, so I wouldn’t say it is irresponsible for us. But it is the largest “fun” purchase I’ve ever made. Please help me feel better - have any of you had anxiety like this and did you ever regret doing DVC??

We are closing on our first contract the end of the month. Is it a good financial decision? Well probably not. From a financial perspective there are certainly other avenues to take with your money. But are the lifelong family memories worth it? For us, absolutely...I consider myself a pretty frugal person and think carefully before spending money on unnecessary things. But I’ve also learned that life experiences truly are priceless and being frugal is also what is allowing our family to afford this lifelong luxury. And last but not least, historically speaking, DVC has and might continue to go up in value so if you happen to have buyers remorse in a few years you’re not losing it all. Depending on many circumstances you could break even or maybe even come ahead.
So march forward with confidence and don’t look back!

 

[Kmedders]

We are closing on our first contract the end of the month. Is it a good financial decision? Well probably not. From a financial perspective there are certainly other avenues to take with your money. But are the lifelong family memories worth it? For us, absolutely...I consider myself a pretty frugal person and think carefully before spending money on unnecessary things. But I’ve also learned that life experiences truly are priceless and being frugal is also what is allowing our family to afford this lifelong luxury. And last but not least, historically speaking, DVC has and might continue to go up in value so if you happen to have buyers remorse in a few years you’re not losing it all. Depending on many circumstances you could break even or maybe even come ahead.
So march forward with confidence and don’t look back!

Thank you!!

 

[E2ME2]

Have you ever gotten anxiety right before closing?? I’m closing on my first contract soon - just signed the documents and wired my funds. We have discussed DVC for about five years and finally took the plunge. I love Disney and the memories we get as a family going there. But now all of a sudden I have anxiety worrying about whether this makes financial sense or if I will regret this. I am sure this is purely because it is a large purchase for “fun”. We aren’t financing, I’ve saved up the money, so I wouldn’t say it is irresponsible for us. But it is the largest “fun” purchase I’ve ever made. Please help me feel better - have any of you had anxiety like this and did you ever regret doing DVC??

Buyer's remorse is a natural phenomenon. I experience it on any large purchase - Car, DVC, Car, Cruise, Car/Truck
I had the same feeling after our 1st DVC purchase in 2010.
Then, by 2012, the only DVC regrets we've had are not buying sooner, and not buying more points from the get-go !!
We were in our early 50s when we bought, and that made us a little anxious at first also, but after the first trips with the kids and grandkids,
we're back to those same 2 regrets!

 

[E2ME2]

We are closing on our first contract the end of the month. Is it a good financial decision? Well probably not. From a financial perspective there are certainly other avenues to take with your money. But are the lifelong family memories worth it? For us, absolutely...I consider myself a pretty frugal person and think carefully before spending money on unnecessary things. But I’ve also learned that life experiences truly are priceless and being frugal is also what is allowing our family to afford this lifelong luxury. And last but not least, historically speaking, DVC has and might continue to go up in value so if you happen to have buyers remorse in a few years you’re not losing it all. Depending on many circumstances you could break even or maybe even come ahead.
So march forward with confidence and don’t look back!

The more I surf these boards, the more like-minded people I find! I am FRUGAL from birth; it's in my Scottish DNA
My grandparents, having lived through the Great Depression, would re-use tea-bags, squeeze a toothpaste tube inside out before discarding it with any toothpaste left inside, and pinched pennies until Lincoln had a migraine. My parents were not quite together on that philosophy however; my Mom was a Saver, but my Dad liked to spend what he had. He was a "live for today" person. I inherited a good bit from both, and have gotten to a philosophy similar to yours. I pinch-pennies, clip coupons, buy gift cards when they're on sale, especially when I use my Disney Visa to buy Disney Gift Cards when on sale at BJs!!, and will wear a pair of shoes until the soles are worn through, but when it's time for vacation, or to celebrate a family event, I spend like a drunken sailor.
(no offense to any DVCers who are in the Navy)
But, right after each "splurge", I can't help but start plotting how to save on something else, to offset some of the incurred expenses.
Our latest trend: We accumulate all our Chick-Fil-A points throughout the year, hold tight to restaurant gift cards that we get for Birthdays/Anniversaries/Christmas, save our Landry's points,(and we both have listed our Birthdays with Landrys in the months we typically travel to Disney), and cash in our Disney Visa CC Points for a Gift Card just prior to our trip, and then we see how long we can go at WDW without paying "out of pocket" for food! Simultaneously, we have no hesitation in making ADRs at our favorite Disney restaurants, but we also leave there with our "doggie-bags", and eat leftovers in our DVC rooms for a couple nights afterward...........

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Thank you! I think my biggest fear is that we won’t use this after our kids (7 and 9) are grown. But like you said, hopefully I could sell if that were the case.

I can tell you that our kids are now older and out of the house, but not married and no grandchildren. We have found ourselves using our points more frequently for non park vacations at VBR and HHI most recently. We have our 3rd VB trip planned for January/February with both of our kids, our DS's GF and our DD's BF. We know it will get harder as they get older to spend time together, but his way makes it easier. Between free flights with SWA points and "free" stays with DVC points, it can make for some very reasonably priced trips that still make memories.

 

[Kmedders]

We are officially closing tomorrow... so all anxiety aside, I guess I need to lean in and get excited! Thanks for all of the kind words of encouragement!